Temporary Things

by Natalie AbbottOctober 14, 2019

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever

- Isaiah 40:8

I get all wrapped up in the details.

I have all the questions, fret about all the outcomes, and stress over all the details. Are you with me? I spend a whole lot of energy wondering, worrying, and just plain ole’ wasting time sweating the small stuff－in complete disregard of all pithy posters recommending the opposite.

I legit will pass whole seasons of life and wonder things like, “Whatever happened to summer?” Well, that's because I never actually lived it. I just overlooked it because I simply had too much to worry about. Have you ever lived like this? Are you there right now? As for me, I have at least one foot in this camp much of the time. I get so caught up in the trivial, I just can’t see the bigger picture.

Yet, no matter how important they seem at the time, our trivial troubles always pass, don’t they? We don’t even do them the courtesy of remembering them. Think about it. Do you remember your small struggles from five years ago? Ten? Fifteen? Do they still seem as important? Are you still losing sleep about them? While most worries have completely faded from memory by now, we never seem to learn the lesson of their impermanence. We fret and worry just the same with each successive season.

Yet, there is something permanent, something lasting that can end the cycle of worry and wasted time, something that can give us hope, and right priorities when life hands us lemons. We can read and meditate on the Word of God. It gives us the telescopic perspective we need. It helps us step back and consider out worries in light of something bigger, something eternal. When we start to view our lives through the lens of eternity, everything starts to fall into place and make sense. We don’t fret because God is in control of EVERY SINGLE THING. We aren’t burdened by the weight of perfection, or paralyzed by trials. We can see them as they are, temporary. And, we can sit in wonder in the presence of the eternal God who loves us and has given us all things in Christ Jesus.

What temporary thing are you absorbed in right now?How might focusing on the eternal Word of God change your perspective?